The High School Basketball Report

High school basketball season continued Friday night with dozens of games throughout San Diego County.
And that's all for this edition of The High School Basketball Report.
We hope you enjoyed The High School Basketball Report.
Join us again next time for The High School Basketball Report.

The USD Report

The University of San Diego lost to Saint Mary's 71-56 in college basketball action Thursday.
And that's all for this edition of The USD Report.
We hope you enjoyed The USD Report. Join us again next time for The USD Report.

Final Thought on Chargers-Jets

In our postgame frenzy Sunday, somehow we neglected to use one of our favorite pieces of clip art.
So we're throwing it up here now.
A day late, but still, never more appropriate.

Chargers-Jets Analysis You Won't Find Anywhere Else

It's been a couple of hours now, and it's still hard to believe the Chargers were eliminated from the playoffs by the Jets.
But we probably should have seen this coming back in November, when Antonio Cromartie and a few other Chargers essentially conducted a rehearsal for their Super Bowl celebration party after a victory over Denver. In November.
So we're not quite as shocked as some might be over this.
But enough of that.
We have a special exclusive guest analyst with us tonight to provide Minor-League Town with his thoughts on Sunday's game, among other things. Joining us for this special event is noted aficionado of Jets gear, Kevin Arnold from "The Wonder Years."
And Sunday's Chargers loss is now especially painful for Charger fans because, if the Bolts had won, our exclusive guest analyst would have been Charger Girl Brittany R.
Oh well, sorry, Charger fans.
So now it's time to move on to our guest analyst, Kevin Arnold, who's still sporting his trademark Jets jacket as he joins us from some unnamed American suburbia.

Minor-League Town: Kevin, welcome to Minor-League Town and thanks for joining us.
Kevin Arnold: Thanks for having me. Can I say one thing, first? ... J-E-T-S, JETS, JETS, JETS!
MLT: OK, I guess we had to get that out of the way. ... Now, Charger fans are questioning Norv Turner's decision to go for an onside kick with just over 2 minutes remaining in the game. An onside kick is such a fluky play that relies on pure luck and when the opponent knows it's coming, it almost never works because they have the "hands team" in and there's so much traffic 10 yards beyond the kick. How did you see that play?
KA: Things never turn out exactly the way you planned. I know they didn't with me. Still, like my father used to say, 'Traffic's traffic, you go where life takes you' and growing up happens in a heartbeat. One day you're in diapers, the next you're gone, but the memories of childhood stay with you for the long haul. I remember a time a place, a particular fourth of July, the things that happened in that decade of war and change. I remember a house like a lot of houses, a yard like a lot of yards, on a street like a lot of other streets. I remember how hard it was growing up among people and places I loved. Most of all, I remember how hard it was to leave. And the thing is, after all these years I still look back in wonder.
MLT: OK, thanks for that. Here's a tough question: If Winnie Cooper were to date a Charger, who might that be?
KA: I'll say Shawne Merriman. Because Winnie has been known to make some bad decisions.
MLT: How would you deal with that, Winnie and Shawne Merriman?
KA: All of our young lives we search for someone to love. Someone that makes us complete. We choose partners and change partners. We dance to a song of heartbreak and hope. All the while wondering if somewhere, somehow, there's someone perfect who might be searching for us.
MLT: OK, compare and contrast, your brother Wayne and former Jets receiver Wayne Chrebet.
KA: One's a butthead, the other took too many shots to the head.
MLT: If you were a Charger fan, what would your thoughts be on Nate Kaeding right now?
KA: Butthead.
MLT: Norv Turner?
KA: Butthead.
MLT: TV viewers will always see Kevin Arnold as a little kid wearing a Jets jacket, and not to put this interview into some weird time warp ... you're not aware of it yet since you're still a little kid, but in the future you're going to attend Stanford -- any thoughts on fellow Stanford guy, Tiger Woods?
KA: Tiger who?

An Overlooked Masterpiece

In anticipation of Sunday's big playoff game, we've been a nervous wreck as we try to determine whether the Chargers will beat the Jets by six touchdowns or seven. So we decided to soothe our nerves by watching one of the most underrated films of all time, "Capricorn One."
We've seen this flick probably a dozen times, and it never loses its appeal. Written and directed by Peter Hyams and released in 1978, "Capricorn One" is the story of the first manned space flight to Mars, which the U.S. government fakes, and the resulting cover-up.
Featuring an all-star cast that reads like an old "Battle of the Network Stars" roster, "Capricorn One" had something for everyone -- intrigue, conspiracy theory, (fake) space travel, investigative journalism and of course, chase scenes involving a crop duster and Black Hawk helicopters. The film starred Elliott Gould, Hal Halbrook, Brenda Vaccaro, Karen Black, a young D.A. Jack McCoy, Barbra Streisand's husband, Bosley from "Charlie's Angels," Joe Rossi from "Lou Grant," Doogie Howser's dad and a special appearance by Kojak.
Oh, and we certainly can't forget the star who, uh, steals the show, which isn't a surprise in light of his armed robbery conviction in recent years. The movie features a dramatic tour de force by none other than O.J. Simpson, or as he's currently known, Nevada Department of Corrections Offender No. 1027820. In his portrayal of astronaut John Walker, O.J. doesn't speak more than 12 words in the whole picture, but he makes every one of them count. What his performance lacks in spoken lines, it makes up for in compelling sighs and facial expressions.
Somehow, "Capricorn One" received no Academy Award nominations, and the members of the Academy who are still around from 1978 will have to live with that indignity.
A quick check of the Oscars from 1978 reveals that "The Deer Hunter" won for Best Picture, which is a shame to those of us who have seen "Capricorn One."
We can only imagine how Orenthal James Simpson's life might have been different if had he won an Oscar for "Capricorn One." When you win an Academy Award, as they say, that's something they can never take away from you.

Billyball!

Rallying his team in the final seconds, Billy Volek lifted the Chargers to a 23-20 victory over the Washington Redskins on Sunday -- much to the delight of The Billy Volek Fan Club.
Volek's 2-yard touchdown pass to Mike Tolbert with 35 seconds remaining gave the Chargers their 11th straight win.
Volek -- No. 2 on the quarterback depth chart and No. 1 in your hearts for a day -- completed 19-of-30 passes for 216 yards and an interception. The game-winner was his only touchdown, but who cares? That final scoring drive is how legends are born.
Someday, perhaps soon, they'll be referring to Volek as "Billy The (Comeback) Kid," and you can say you remember the day it all started.
By providing his last-minute heroics, Volek now gives coach Norv Turner a little more to think about before settling on a starting lineup for the playoffs. Can you say raging QB controversy, San Diego?